A Path Drawn by Fate
by Ocean Flower
Summary: I think this title suits the story more than the previous one... summery: All she had to live for was her mother's gift, that's until a certain cold blooded knight, who she thought the world would be better off without, showed up in her life. aaml
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon or any of the characters in this story except for the ones I created...

Rated PG-13 just to be safe ….

A/N: Some of the characters won't be revealed in this chapter, so please be patient.

Ages:

Ash:18

Misty:17

Lily:19

Violet:20

Daisy:21

King Philip:39/45

Queen Jasmine:37

Nicholas:40

Desperate love

Prologue

Once upon a time

Along time ago. There was a beautiful place called the cerulean kingdom. Children were running every where playing and chasing one another. Smiles were spread across their faces. It was obvious that the citizens were completely happy with their lives and had nothing to worry about. However, that was not entirely true....

In the royal palace of this kingdom lived the great king Phillip with his amazingly beyond beautiful young daughters. Daisy; blond, tall and any man would just fall head over heels for her. Violet, also tall and has long dark blue hair that reaches to her back. Lily; takes care of her looks a little too much and has pinkish shoulder length hair. And finally, Misty; the youngest of them all yet the prettiest and most intelligent. She has long red hair and a pair of ocean blue eyes that would surely hypnotize anyone who looks at them.

The princesses were living a totally happy life in the palace. However, only one person that lived with them felt unwanted.. And that person was princess Misty. She never felt secured. She believed that she was alone in this world. She dreamed about love and happiness though she knew it could never happen because of her past. A really dark unforgettable past…

_Six years ago _

An eleven year old red headed girl was walking around in the palace. A huge smile spread across her face. She was so proud that her mother had given her the treasure of the royal family. Her mother had chosen her over her other three sisters. _"Oh how jealous_ _they were!!"_ The princess thought happily to herself remembering the looks on her sisters' Faces. She glanced at the pendent around her neck. _"It's so beautiful" _She murmured as she stared at the golden amber that had a royal symbol engraved in it. _"They probably hate me now_" Her smile slowly turned into a saddened expression as she recalled her sisters' reactions and thought of the possibility that her sisters wouldn't treat her the way they used to. But she reassured herself because her parents wouldn't allow anyone to harm their daughter, not even her sisters.

Misty was still walking until she caught sight of someone. It was the middle of the night. Who would be up this late?…besides her that is….

She got a little closer to the person. It was suddenly clear. She saw her mother; the queen looking out the window. She could only hear whispers. She stayed hidden in her place until she noticed the queen looking around frantically as if she was about to do something illegal then walked away from the window. Misty got really curious, so she followed her mother carefully. They got to the palace entrance. "_What is she doing?!! Is she…running away?!! No! This isn't sensible. Why am I thinking like that? I'll just find out by my self"_

Thoughts swirled inside the young princess' head asshe tried to catch up to her mother. She ran outside the palace and stopped when she saw a strange man that she had never seen before standing in front of her mother with a serious look on his face. She hid behind a near-by tree and listened to them talking. "It's been quite a long time my queen!" the man said. "Nicholas! What are you doing here. I warned you not to come here. What if Phillip saw you?!" The queen shouted angrily at him, but it was more like a whisper. "I wanted to see you again….Actually, I came here to see my daughter" Queen Jasmine was shocked. "Are you out of your mind?!" She responded. "Why?" He inquired. "You can't see her! Do you realize what you are saying? By doing this you are going to put yourself and my daughter in danger! And I'm surely not going to take the risk!" she was shaking with fear as she yelled at him. " Jasmine! I need to see her. She isn't only yours, she's also mine. You have to let me see my daughter. At least let me talk to her!" He pleaded. "Listen! I told you before that you have to forget about me and Misty. She isn't yours anymore, she's Phillip's….Forget that she had once been your daughter. You promised not to interfere with our lives, so don't break the promise" She said getting a little uncomfortable. The whole time they were talking, Misty was leaning against the tree listening to their conversation. She was totally confused. What was her mother talking about? Who is this stranger and why is he talking to her mother like that? "_What did she mean by saying that I'm not HIS daughter anymore?!" _Being too young to realize the truth, she just kept standing there trying to figure out what it all meant. All of a sudden there was a loud scream that interrupted her train of thoughts. She looked to the direction where the two people once stood and was shocked to see a very angry king standing over the stranger's dead body with a sharp sword clutched in his right hand. "Phillip! What have you done?!" Queen jasmine asked. Her voice was quivering. The king didn't answer. "Why did you kill the man Phillip? He didn't try to harm me, so why did you do it?" She asked him pleadingly trying to hold back her tears. " I… know" was the only words that escaped his lips. The queen gasped in realization. There was a moment of silence until King Phillip spoke again "Traitor! …you don't deserve to live" He said in a very frightening voice. His words coming out like knives. Jasmine trembled in fear as she knew what was coming next. The wrath of the king. Misty watched in horror. She wanted to scream. This was too much for a little girl. The monstrous looking king advanced at his wife in great rage. The queen released a final squeal as the inevitable sword cut through her with great force sending her to the afterlife. Misty couldn't take it anymore, so she passed out in the dark palace garden as a tear slid down her pale cheek.

Every thing had changed from that fateful night and Misty's life turned into hell.

To be continued……

A/N: This is my first fic and I don't really know if it's good or not. so if you like it and want me to continue, please review!!


	2. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon and never will…..

Chapter one

Birds were chirping and flowers were blossoming as the morning sun began to rise above the kingdom of cerulean spreading golden rays every where on the land. People started to do their daily jobs as they depended on them for gaining money.

Not far away, a young woman with long silky red hair slept comfortably in her bed as the sun light appeared through her window causing her to stir a bit. She opened her eyes wearily and groaned realizing that another day had arrived. She was disappointed because she was having a beautiful dream and once again she had woken up without completing it. Sometimes she really wished from the bottom of her heart that she could just stay asleep and never wake up to face the bitter reality everyday.

"Your majesty. The king wants you down for breakfast at once" called one of the palace maids as she knocked on the door of Misty's room. "Alright… I'm coming" said Misty with a groan as she got out of bed and started getting ready. "Another depressing day… When will I get rid of this miserable life" She sighed as she finished getting dressed. Of course she didn't forget about the necklace. She had promised her mother to keep it safe and to carry it with her where ever she goes. The queen chose her to be the jewel bearer so she had to live on for the sake of her mother. She had to keep on living until she had children to carry the family's name after her through the next generations. A glance at the shimmering jewel brought painful memories back. She dismissed the thought, grabbed the necklace, placed it around her soft neck and walked out of her room.

In the huge royal dining hall sat king Phillip at the end of a long dining table with his three beautiful daughters by his side. Daisy and Lily were on his right and Violet on his left. They were all waiting for Misty's arrival. "Like, what is taking her so long" spoke Lily ending the silence. " Why do we like, have to wait for her every time?" whimpered Violet. "Father! She's doing this on purpose. Why don't you like, do something? You always leave her do whatever she wants…this is like totally unfair!" shouted Lily. The king kept silent. Eventhough Misty wasn't _that_ late he was really angry at her. He always appeared to be furious. After all… She wasn't his daughter. The only reason he kept herwas because she wasthe bearer of the royal jewel. (Why didn't he take it away from her you ask? ..Well the answer is simple.. The jewel has a power of its own. It doesn't allow anyone to touch it but its bearer. Once the bearer presents the jewel to someone, it has to remain with the receiver until he or she dies or gives it to some other person).

"Daisy! Say something!" yelled Lily. "I do not have anything that is worth saying" stated Daisy calmly. Lily just glared at her. "Ahem!" came a voice from the door. They all turned their faces to see Misty coming their direction. The three sisters stopped arguing and looked at her intently. "It's about time" spoke the king breaking the silence. "Sorry I'm late" apologized Misty. "Sorry isn't enough" Daisy finally said something. "Who do you think you are?!" shouted Lily. "You can't like, spoil our time every day!" said Violet with anger. "You are nothing but-" "ENOUGH!!" exploded the king. His voice echoed through the entire palace like a lions roar. Everyone quieted down. Misty was just standing there trying not to show her fear. Her heart was beating furiously. She hated to see her father angry. It scared her to death. The king stared at her with disgust. Misty started trembling a little, but kept a stern look on her face. "Sit down" he said with his teeth clinched. Misty immediately sat down at the end of the table. "Let's start, shall we?!" he said slowly calming down as they all started to eat quietly.

Once they had all finished, the butler came in carrying a message with him. He whispered something in the king's ear. The king nodded and stood from his seat. "I have got to go now…You may go to your rooms" the princesses stood and bowed for the king before he left. When he was out of sight, Misty turned to leave until her arrogant sister Lily spoke up. "And where do you think you are going your highness" she inquired sarcastically. " …To my room.. Where else?" Misty retorted as she continued walking towards the door. "Not so fast!" stated Violet as she stepped in Misty's way. "We aren't like, done with you yet" she said. Misty thought that thiswas going to be one of her sisters' daily lectures that she got used to. How wrong was she!? "Do you actually think that you're better than us?! That you can do whatever you wish?! Well think again runt because we are like totally going to make you pay for all the humiliation you've caused us!" Lily shouted in Misty's face with irritation.

Misty stood silent with a saddened expression on her face. They were referring to the **Incident **that happened six years ago. Tears began to well up in Misty's eyes as she remembered the events. "Chill out girls. It's not like our dear father isn't like, going to do something" they all turned to Daisy who had an evil grin on her face. "Remember what he said about her recently?" she asked expectantly. Misty had a confused look on her face. "Oh yes! Now I like totally remember, why didn't that occur to me earlier? " blurted Violet. "Poor little Princess, you are so going to regret the day you joined this family" stated Lily. She also had a grin spread across her face. Misty had no idea what they were babbling about. "What do you mean?" she questioned trying to hold back her tears. "Should we like, tell her?" asked Violet. "I don't think she can handle it" retorted Daisy.

"Well she has got to know sooner or later" Violet stated flatly. Misty was looking at them all the time waiting for whatever they were going to say. It was Lily's turn to speak "Listen Misty! We all know that every each one of us is going to die one of these days. Either by illness or by getting killed. Unlike you dear sister, we are distend to live a happy life not knowing how,when,where we are going to die, but you….You are so lucky runt because you can get to know everything about your death, so be prepared for it" Misty was beyond shocked. The tears slid freely down her cheeks as she kept listening. "That's right Misty. Father is going to kill you. You mean nothing to him. He doesn't care about you…. He never did" Misty's legs couldn't carry her anymore. She collapsed on her knees and bent forwards. Her tears falling onto the polished floor. Lily bent down in front of her sister. "It's all because of what you're wearing around your neck….You can't save your self even if you give it to him. He despises you. He is the king and you are not his daughter. He is allowed to do whatever he wants" Misty couldn't take it anymore. She stood up immediately and strolled out of the palace. She passed the garden and kept on running nonstop getting out of the palace limits.

Her sisters watched her from one of the windows with huge smiles across their faces. "We went too far, didn't we?" Spoke Daisy. "Like, whatever!" said Lily rolling her eyes. "She deserved it" Said Violet as they looked at each other and went their separate ways to their rooms.

Misty was running aimlessly. The tears still falling like a waterfall. '_If he hates me that much, then why didn't he kill me from the beginning? Is he doing it on purpose? Is he trying to torture me? I wish I have never been born!' _she was having difficulty breathing as her sobs became louder. People stared at the running girl.

"Isn't that one of the princesses?" asked an old man. "It appears to be" answered another man that was selling apples. A loan figure with a cloak and a hood covering his face was standing near by listening to the two men talking. Taking this as an opportunity, he stole an apple and slithered away.

"Sire, we have found three corpses this morning near the palace sire and theywere all from rich families" said the butler "People die every day" responded the king with no emotion. "But they were murdered your highness. There's a blood thirsty killer out there" said the butler. His voice rising. "Watch your language! Do not forget that you are speaking to the king" shouted the king enraged. The butler gulped as he realized what he had done. "I beg for your forgiveness" replied the butler. "What about the message?" Asked the king referring to the rolled paper in the butler's hand. "It's from lord Arthur sire!" Lord Arthur is king of the kingdom of goldenrod. He had a son that he didn't know about. In other words; he let him do whatever he wanted not knowing if what he didwas right or wrong. He gave him everything he wanted, but didn't give him the thing that a child needs the most. A father's love. And what were the consequences? His only son grew up to be an arrogant emotionless personwhotreated everyone with cruelty and only cared about himself and his own desires. "Go on" said the king. "He says that his son prince Ashton and himself are coming in a few days to declare peace on our kingdom!" "Then let us prepare for their arrival" said the king and motioned for the butler to dismiss. the butler bowed and went to do his job as he began to gather the palace maids and prepare the palace for the lord's arrival.

To be continued…..

A/N: I'm not going to be free this whole month because I have to study for the upcoming exams, so please you guys bear with me. I'm going to check my mail every weekend… I need reviews to continue the story.


	3. Chapter Two

Desperate Love

By Ocean Flower

**A/N: Sorry you guys for taking so long to update. I got kind of busy with my studies and all and I haven't had that much of a time to think of any ideas for this chapter. Let's just take a brake from Misty for a while so we can see how Ash's life had been… on with the story…**

A young seven year old boy with jet black hair and chocolate brown eyes was sitting next to his ill mother holding her hand tightly as he listened to her last words.

"Be strong dear Ashton. You are going to grow up to be…… a good person and a fair king…… you have to promise me that… you will… bring peace to our kingdom and the whole… world" said Ashton's mother weakly.

"Please mama; I don't want you to die… I love you!" cried her son.

"I love you too son…… make… me proud… and don't forget to…"she couldn't get to finish as her soul departed her body.

"Mama?" There was no response. Ash stared at her with disbelief.

"Mama!" still no response. He started shaking her violently.

"Mama please don't leave me! Please wake up!"

He stopped shaking her when he realized it wasn't helping. His mother was dead and he couldn't do anything about it… She was gone forever and he had to accept it. He kept staring at her pale face for god knows how long not moving as if he was paralyzed. The only things that were moving in the room were his own tears sliding down his small face and falling on the queen's bed sheet.

"…Son"

Young Ashton looked to the direction of the door and saw his father standing there. Eyes all puffy and red. Anyone could tell that he was crying as well. He wasn't in a good condition at all. He knew about his wife's illness, but kept the truth from his son. Until everything was revealed to him on that day when the queen requested to see her beloved son before death came open mouthed to get its victim. Ashton stood slowly, kissed his mother on her forehead and walked towards the huge door where his father stood. The king hugged his son tightly as more tears slid down his cheeks.

"_I will take care of our son Delia… I promise you I will"_ He promised as he looked to the location where his wife's lifeless body was lying.

However what he did for his son as the years passed by went beyond the limits. Sure he wanted to take care of him and make him strong, but that was just not enough for Ashton. His father stopped treating him the way he used to since the day his mother died. King Arthur gave his son everything, but didn't bother to teach him about life. He never scolded him whenever he did something wrong. He wanted his son to be the happiest person in the whole world and what he was doing was the right thing in his opinion. How wrong he was…

* * *

_ Eleven years later _

"You idiot! I said bring me the god damn bastard who was laughing when we were walking by the stores in the kingdom this morning!" shouted prince Ashton.

"But your high-"

"Don't you dare to disobey my orders!" yelled the prince in great rage.

"As you wish… sire" said the guard reluctantly.

"Good! You are dismissed" the guard bowed and turned to go do his business.

Prince Ashton sat down on his throne thinking about the things he would do to this man. A huge grin was spread across his face.

"That rat will regret what he did… he is going to pay for laughing in front of me" he said arrogantly as he began to laugh evilly.

* * *

"Do you have any idea what happens to a man when he disrespects higher people such as myself?" inquired the prince in a very dangerous tone.

"…." The poor man was trembling with fear. He was held tightly by two guards on both his right side and left.

"I'll tell you!" said Ashton suddenly making the man flinch. "He dies tormented in the dungeons!"

"Please your grace… just give me another chance. I truly did not mean to disrespect you. It was all a misunderstanding. I-"

"Take him away!" ordered the prince without any emotion.

The mans squeals gradually descended as the guards dragged him away to the miserable dark dungeons. Torturing is a daily habit to Ashton. He had done a lot of bad things in his life. He tortured a lot of people, separated children from their families and forced children to watch their parents get beaten up. He had no heart. He ruined his father's kingdom yet the king didn't bother at all. If he only knew about the dungeons his son had built in order to torment people he didn't like in them.

"Your highness!" one of the guards came running to the prince.

"What is it" Ashton replied as he turned to the guard.

"My lord wants to talk to you immediately" he replied.

"What does he want now!" he shouted angrily. He hated it when someone interrupted him wile he was busy doing his daily habit.

"I-I c-certainly don't know sire. He said he-"

"Well tell him I'm busy at the moment!"

"But he said it's urgent!"

There was a pause for a second. Then a sigh was heard.

"I think it's better if I went to see what he wants or he will never stop bothering me" said Ashton finally. He sighed again and left the dungeons to meet his father.

* * *

He arrived at the main hall where his father was sitting comfortably in his throne waiting patiently for his son to arrive. Ashton walked straight toward his father. He sat on one knee and bowed his head in front of the king.

"You requested for me father?" he asked still bowing his head.

"Stand up my son" he ordered.

The prince looked up from his kneeling position and thought _'this must be serious'_ as he stood. The king stood from his throne as well and walked toward his son.

"I sent a message to King Phillip this morning" said King Arthur.

"How does that concern me?" inquired the prince.

"I told him that my son and I are going to their kingdom to declare peace"

"Peace? It is something between you and King Phillip. I still do not understand why you want me to join you?" said the prince getting a little furious.

"Dear son… you're a grown man now. You have to learn about these things. They are things of great importance for the sake of our kingdom and it is time that you learn how to deal with others in order to satisfy your nation"

"_Satisfy my nation… of course of course" _he mumbled under his breath sarcastically.

"And besides that" said the king suddenly. Ashton looked at him intently. "King Phillip has four daughters… maybe… one of them would get lucky to be chosen by my son to be his wife"

"What!" the prince shouted in surprise.

"You're eighteen now and you have passed the age of marriage"

"I'm not in a hurry" he said firmly. "There's plenty of time for that. I still want to live my life"

"Ashton! Marriage doesn't mean the end of the world. You can still do what you want whenever you like. Do you not want to live a completely happy life with children running all around you? Do you not want to wake up in the morning to find your beloved wife beside you?"

"I do not want a woman to enter my life and take control of me, telling me what to do!" he shouted in rage.

The king kept looking at his aggravated son without changing his facial expression.

"you do not have any idea what would it feel like if you just lived your entire life not having anyone to share a smile with or even talk with" the king's voice was raising gradually. "Tell me… are you happy, son?!"

"Completely! Why do you ask?" Ashton got a little confused by the question and the way his father reacted to him.

"Maybe you haven't realized it yet, but I have discovered that I'm nothing without your mother"

Suddenly Ashton's heart stopped as he remembered what he tried to forget years ago. He slowly raised his head to meet King Arthur's. His eyes were wide and blank as he stared forward continuing to listen to his father's speech.

"I missed her so much… her eyes… her smile… her voice. Now I'm all alone having nothing to fill my heart with. I'm feeling the emptiness surrounding me, following my every step… but at least I have something or someone to remind me of her… I have you." He said as he put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Do you know what I mean, son?" he asked kindly.

"Yes" was all what Ashton could say as a tear slid across his cheek. He closed his eyes as the painful memories came flooding to his mind.

"Think about what I said. And remember that no human being would be glad to live a life of loneliness"

"I understand" he lied. The only thing that touched him deeply wasn't the marriage thing, but his mother. He didn't want to remember, but he couldn't resist it. He loved her so much. He believed that no woman will fill out her place. He couldn't stand the pain. He had to get out of this place.

"Go get ready. We are leaving in a few days" said the king.

"You know father. Maybe it is better if I left before you do"

"Why did you change your mind all of a sudden?"

"I need sometime alone"

"I see… So I assume you do not need any guards with you?" Ashton shook his head "Oh… When are you leaving then?"

"Now if it's alright with you" he said as he waited for his father's approval.

"You may go then"

"Thank you father" he said as he bowed and left the hall.

* * *

He was in his room packing up. He wasn't going to take a lot of clothes with him after all; he wasn't going straight to the palace. _'I do not want anyone to recognize me. Might as well wear something less suspicious' _he thought. He called one of the guards that were standing out his door and requested for one of the prisoners' clothes. The guard was confused, but did what he was asked to do for he knew how serious the prince's temper could get.

"Sire! I brought the clothes!" informed the guard.

"They are dirty, but useful" said the prince then he looked at the guard again "bring me some shoes as well" he ordered. The guard was getting really curious.

"Pardon me sire, but may I ask why-" he was cut off.

"Just do it!" he yelled. The guard gulped.

"Yes, your grace" as he proceeded to do that too.

The guard returned with the shoes and left the room as he was ordered. The prince wore the clothes and was almost ready to leave. Only one thing was missing. Something to cover his face. It wasn't like someone knew him in that kingdom. He had never been to it before, but just in case. He got out a long black cloak with a hood. He wore it and covered his head with the hood. He got out of the palace and decided that he would need a horse to take him to the cerulean kingdom. He hopped on his favorite white horse and strolled toward his destination.

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed, informed me of some mistakes, gave me suggestions and encouraged me to go on. Please tell me if you found any grammar or spelling mistakes in this chapter 'cause I need to know. Also tell me if you think the story is worth continuing, because I really don't think it's that good.**


	4. Chapter Three

**A/N: I'm soooooo very sorry for the delay! PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! I got hooked up with other situations… You know school and personal issues. Also I was requested to compete in several art contests, so I got totally busy these last three months… First I thought about quitting writing the rest of the story, 'cause I thought I didn't have time for it anymore. But lucky for you guys I didn't.. I'm back now - lol… Okay, don't wanna waste your time blabbering about my own problems… so read on…**

He rode his white remarkably fast horse speeding to a dense looking forest which appeared to be the only way leading to the cerulean kingdom besides the ways where people cross and pass by. He preferred not to be seen by anyone of his nation or even getting near them. So he decided to take the unknown path which could be dangerous, but he cared less about danger. He wanted to get his mind off of things that weren't supposed to be reconsidered in the first place. He sped and finally reached the dark forest and entered it…

A couple of hours flied by and we see Prince Ashton's horse tied to a tree. Not far away a small fire could be seen with Ashton sitting right next to it leaning on another tree and throwing some wood in the flame. It was starting to get darker and colder. He just sat there gazing at the fire. You could tell that something was bothering him.

_'Am I the only one in this world who's suffering?' _he thought to himself.

_'Even if I am, I can't show my weakness. I must stay strong and be feared by every human being and every creature on this planet. I'll deal with anyone who tries or even thinks of messing with me whether it is men, women or children' _he thought as he clinched his fists in determination

He was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice how hungry he was until his stomach made a growling sound. He ignored it though.

_'People are nothing but slaves. They are nothing compared to us and the last thing I want is to see any of them in this place'_

_'All they do is bother me or waste my precious time with their pathetic complaints. But now that I'm outside the limits of the kingdom, I probably won't be bothered' _

_'But…What if I encounter someone here!' _he thought disgustedly.

_'I swear if I find any pathetic person in this forest...' _he glanced at his sword then back at thefirewith a big grin on his face. He kept on thinking until he fell asleep by the fire…

* * *

The sun arose and the dark black sky was swallowed by the bright light of the morning declaring that a new day has arrived. The sun rays hit the earth causing the birds to sing and chirp flying to their little ones and feeding them. A lone figure was lying on the grassy ground contemplating the beautiful innocent scene.

"I wish I were a bird" sighed Misty.

"Being a princess is such a pain"

She stood up and walked towards the nest of the birds. She stared at them for a while.

"You know what? I envy you… you don't have problems and your lives are so perfect…and short…" she sighed again and glanced at the necklace her mother had given her.

"Oh mother… if only you were here" she mumbled softly as a tear slid down her cheek. She didn't care to wipe it away because she thought that she was alone. Little did she know that someone had followed her the whole way from the kingdom.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A lost princess in my territory? I must be the luckiest man on earth"

Misty flinched. She slowly turned around and found a huge scary muscular man with a cloak on and a hood covering his face.

"W-what do you want with me?" she asked. Her voice shaking.

"What every man wants" was his answer.

Misty knew exactly what he meant. Her heart was beating faster than ever. This man was trying to do something bad. She wouldn't stand a chance in front of a monster like that. The first thing that crossed her mind and supposedly the only thing she could actually do was…

"AAAHHHHHH" she screamed her lungs out in fright hoping that someone would hear her and come to rescue her from this filthy bastard. Even though she was sure that no one would come to save her, she kept screaming. She was grabbed harshly by the arm and swung over the man's shoulder. Kicking and punching didn't seem to help her at all so she had nothing left to do but cry for help…

* * *

Ashton jerked his head up when he thought he heard something.

_'What was that?' _he wondered to himself looking around him as if he was searching for the source.

_"Help!"_

_'There it is a gain'_ he thought. It was faint, but it sounded like a female voice.

_'Well where ever it's coming from, it is none of my business' _he convinced himself.

He tapped his horse to continue where he was going, but the horse itself was struggling to go the other way. Ashton was surprised by his horse's reaction. It always obeyed him. What was causing it to get so stubborn with him?

"Whoa…easy" he tried to calm it down but with no avail.

"What in hell is happening?" he asked out loud.

Ashton's horse sped towards the source of the voice. It was heard again. It was getting louder and louder. Ashton didn't do anything to stop his horse. He was a little curious himself. He wanted to find out what was happening.

The squealing stopped but the horse didn't come to a halt. All of a sudden, the horse stopped racing the wind making the prince a couple of inches from falling off. But he balanced himself. He looked around expecting to find the woman who was the cause of all this, but instead he found only trees and branches. He hopped off of his horse and just stood there. Closing his eyes and listening to the wind blowing and caressing his hair. Along with the sound of the wind was… a whimper. He opened his eyes and immediately strolled to where he heard it coming from. He ran and drew his sword out just in case he needed it.

"Please don't do this to me. Let me go" It was the same feminine voice. It appeared to be squeaky.

"Shut up!" a thud was heard afterwards followed by another scream, but it wasn't loud.

Ashton hid between the bushes and finally got the view of what was going on. There stood the woman he was looking for. Her clothes were a bit torn. And she was barely standing. She had a nice figure and long red flamy hair and the most beautiful face he'd ever seen. Her face was stained with her own tears. He stared at her for a while admiring her beauty completely forgetting about the situation she was in. A loud slap caused him to wake up from his day dream. She fell back on the ground roughly. Blood started seeping out of her mouth. His eyes widened when he realized what was happening.

_'Darn! I have to do something' _he thought frantically.

As the giant man was about to do his next move, Ashton was getting ready to advance on him. He waited for the perfect timing.

"You're mine" said the rapist lustfully.

"…no…" was all she could say. She could barely speak. Tears started streaming freely down her cheeks as she lay there unable to move waiting for her fate.

"Don't waste your energy. No one is coming for you" he whispered menacingly in her ear.

"What makes you so sure?" he heard a voice from behind him. He turned around to see who it was and immediately regretted his actions as he felt a sharp pain in his side. He coughed out blood. Ashton pulled the sword out of the man's side and put it back in its place. He walked passed the fallen man to the lady kneeling by her side.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly. She just gazed at him grateful that he had come and rescued her.

"… thank you…" she said softly with a weak smile forming on her face. He smiled back at her then turned around to finish his business, but surprisingly no one was around anymore. The man was gone.

"That's not possible! How did he find the strength to get away that fast?" he cried out in surprise.

"Damn it! I should have finished him off from the beginning" he cursed under his breath.

"…it's alright" he heard her speak again. He turned around to face her and found that she was struggling to get up. All the things that happened drained her energy. Ashton watched her trying desperately to sit, but ending up falling backwards breathing heavily. He sighed thinking about what he had done and how this girl affected him. He had never felt like this before. Never helped anyone nor defended someone. He could have easily walked away and leave her there suffering. But there was something in her that made him weak. At least that's what he thought. He walked towards her, kneeled down and picked her up. There was no other solution anyways. He felt that he couldn't just leave her there for that bastard. She stared at him in confusion.

"Don't worry. You're going to be fine" was all he said as a smile crept to her lips. She closed her eyes and fell asleep in her saviors arms reassured that she's in good hands.

**To be continued…**

**Woohooo! Finally another chapter's done. Please R&R and tell me whatcha think of this chappy. A big thanks goes to all who reviewed before and for those who waited. And hopefully these days I'd have time to write the rest of the story… Oh and one more thing… can any one please tell me how to get rid of a guy who thinks that you think that you like him? JK …lol… just review k?**


	5. Chapter four

**Hey people! Here's the fourth chapter you've been waiting for. Don't rush things though… I know that you wanna see some evidence which indicate that Ash is a heartless guy… all I can say is…PATIENCE! I've got everything planned so don't worry. Everything you want is gonna happen trust me! This story is full of drama… those Mexican soap opera had affected my brain deeply lol.**

Misty stirred in her sleep. She groggily opened her eyes to see a rocky gray ceiling which she instantly figured it to be a cave. She got a little confused. _'What brought me here?'_ she asked herself in wonder. Then all of a sudden, a horrifying event crossed her memory. She jolted upright immediately as she remembered that mysterious freaky man. Fearing that something had happened to her, she started to panic.

"It's good to see you awake" she heard a strange voice. It sounded familiar though. She turned to the speaker and found that it wasn't the person she feared. It turned out to be another person. Someone she couldn't bring herself to remember. Then it clicked. nothing bad happened. Someone had saved her. It was him.

"Here's something you can use to fill up your empty stomach" he said this as he tossed her an apple.

She caught it with both hands. Examining it as if she was searching for something. It was a neat apple and it looked good, but she wasn't used to having her food that way.

"Eat it! It's not poisoned" he said making her jerk slightly at his cold commanding tone. The way she was looking at the fruit was like she was expecting a bug to pop out of it. She kept quiet for a while still staring at the apple. Finally she decided to take a bite.

"Well? it wasn't that bad was it?" he asked sarcastically. She laughed a bit for the first time.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not used to eating food from the wild" she laughed again at how stupid she looked.

"What was a pretty lady like yourself doing in the middle of the woods alone?" he asked still having a sarcastic tone in his voice, the way he looked at her though… was kind of emotionless. Her facial expression now turned from a happy innocent face to a saddened and pretty much depressed one. Ashton noticed this, but didn't say a thing.

"It's a long story" she replied. She feared that he'd ask more questions and that made her uncomfortable, so she tried to change the subject.

"How did you find me?" she asked.

"Actually it was my horse" he turned to look at it "It responded to your call and took me to where you were which was odd because it never does anything on it's own without my permission" Misty immediately touched the jewel knowing perfectly well the reason behind the horse's reaction. She stood up, apple still in hand and walked past Ash toward his horse. She petted it's head and smiled at it as it brushed it's face against hers making her giggle softly.

"What's her name?" she asked still petting the horse.

"Her?" he asked with a snort.

"… Yes" she turned her head to look at his mocking expression "don't you know that animals are exactly like us?" she faced his taunting expression with her own modest look.

"I know that milady, but they are animals! They are supposed to be treated as things not as humans!" he pointed out slyly. She frowned at his pathetic opinion and shook her head.

"It appears to me that you don't understand anything about animals… they have feelings just like us humans" she said with a compassionate tone "which means that you have to treat them as your friends" Ash was holding himself from laughing. He never believed in those things "so I believe you haven't named her?" it was more like a statement than a question.

"Is it supposed to have a name?" he asked bluntly with a hint of sarcasm.

"No, but it would be better to call her something" she answered simply. "How about … Alexandra?" she asked out straight.

"Whatever" he just shrugged not caring at all about naming or not naming the horse. 'It's only an animal for god's sake' he burst out laughing. Misty ignored his rude behavior and turned to his horse.

"What about you? Do you mind if I call you Alexandra?" she asked the white horse softly with a smile on her face. The horse just nudged her in response as if it liked the name she just gave it.

"You like it, don't you?" she asked with a giggle and caressed it's face. Soon Ash's snickers resided as silence surrounded them for a while until she spoke again.

"I think I was lucky" she said.

"I believe that as well" he said as he gazed at the scene in front of him. 'She appears to have a way with animals. I still can't believe how she got to touch it without having to experience severe pain. It never trusted anyone but me… until now' he admired her. He couldn't deny it. They looked cute together. 'Maybe she is right after all' Silence fell upon them once again for a moment until Ash spoke "Do you have a name?"

"Oh I'm sorry…my manners…it's Misty" she answered happily.

"Last name?"

"Just Misty!" she answered him quickly not wanting him to know her true identity.

"Don't you have a family?"

"No" she lied.

"Not even a home?"

"Umm... no I don't" she paused for a second trying to find a way to get him to stop asking more questions about her "You never told me your name" she finally said something to cover up the previous subject.

" … you can call me Ash"

"Ash?"

"Yes"

"Funny name" she commented with a bit of sarcasm. He only shrugged in response and turned his head away from her as she took another bite of the apple.

'Damn it! What am I doing?' he shouted to himself. Not knowing what was making him act the way he did with this girl. What was so special about her? He never treated anyone this way before not even a child. This girl was getting to him some way and he didn't like it at all. He frowned realizing that he had actually shown another side of himself. Misty noticed this.

'He's so mysterious not to mention cold. He doesn't even have an expression to show any kind of emotion. Even when he laughs or smiles… his eyes show something else. I can't help but feel scared. Could he really be the one I was waiting for all these years?' she glanced at him and noticed that he had gone to his own world 'What is he so occupied with? Something might be troubling him… might as well ask'

"Are you alright… Ash?"

'Am I actually having feelings for her?' he asked himself getting a little irritated at the fact that he might be falling for her.

"Ash!" his thoughts were cut short by her high pitched voice.

"Are you alright?" she repeated her question a little concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! nothing at all" he answered back harshly. She was shocked by his sudden outburst. What made him get angry like that?

"…Did I say something that possibly offended you?" she asked innocently

'I have to get away from here' he decided. 'I can't let one hell of a girl change my lifestyle' He stood up from his position near the pile of burnt wood, which was lit the night before, and turned away from her walking towards the sun which also was the exit of the cave.

"Where are you going?" she asked with a worried expression on her face. He stopped for a moment not turning back.

"To get some wood for the fire. Stay here until I get back" he responded in a commanding way and proceeded to get out of the cave.

**...In the royal palace of the Cerulean Kingdom...**

"Have you found her yet!" asked King Phillip angrily.

"No sire. We have searched everywhere in the kingdom but unfortunately haven't been successful in finding her highness" answered the leader of the king's guards.

"That's impossible! Where could she have gone to!"

"W- we don't know sire"

"Then what are you doing here? I said not to return without her you fools"

"But my lord, she hasn't been seen anywhere in the kingdo-"

"I said find her! Search everywhere in the kingdom and out! And this time get her back! Understood?" he said in a dangerous threatening voice.

"Y-yes my lord. As you wish"

He gestured for them to leave. When they did, he turned to his three daughters who were considered the cause of all this chaos.

"What do you three have to say for yourselves? How many times have I warned you not to let her know or suspect anything?"

The three of them had their heads down and said nothing as their father continued to lecture them with complete aggravation.

"King Arthur is going to arrive in a week and he will expect the four of you to be present. What am I to do if that brat isn't to be found in time?" the three sisters shut their eyes tight as his angered voice echoed through the whole palace soon followed by silence. Soon enough they opened their eyes to find a totally steamed up king.

"GO TO YOUR ROOMS AND NEVER COME DOWN UNTILL YOU HAVE MY ORDER!"

They immediately walked away up the stairs to the corridor which lead to their rooms. They all sighed Thanking god that the scolding hour was finally over and entered their rooms.

The king slumped back on his throne exasperated trying to think of something to help solve this problem. He thought of every possibility to bring Misty back to the palace before Lord Arthur arrived. An idea crossed his mind as he called for one of the guards.

"You wished to see me your majesty?" the guard asked.

"I want you to inform all the people, who live in this kingdom, of the search for my missing daughter!" he ordered solemnly. "Every man must proceed to search for her and if any one objects… you know what to do"

"Yes your majesty"

The guard bowed before he went to do his duty as the king sat there on his throne in anticipation. All he could do was wait. 'Ashton Arthur Ketchum is going to have to choose one of my daughters to be his wife. He will choose no one if they weren't all present' he thought frantically to himself. 'She must show up soon… she has to'

* * *

Ashton walked in the deep forest searching for more fire wood and trying desperately to get his mind off the girl who he thought has been a distraction to him. While he was searching he spotted something in the distance. It was a doll made of hay and wood. He walked over to it and picked it up. 'What's this doing here?' he wondered.

'Might as well use it for the fire' he figured.

"Hey mister! You found my dolly!" screamed a little girl about six.

She ran over to Ash followed by another girl and a boy. They were all about the same age. They stood in front of Ash and looked at him admirably.

"Are you a warrior?" asked the boy excitedly. Looking at Ash's sword "I've always wanted to be a warrior" he said innocently.

Ash said nothing. He just stared at the kids in disgust. Seeing how happy they were made his blood boil. He was never happy when he was their age. He just wanted so bad to wipe those smiles off their faces. His old self is showing again. A pair of small hands interrupted his dark thoughts as he looked down to see the little girl raising her hands indicating that she wants her dolly back. He looked at the doll then at the girl.

He raised his hand, which was holding the doll, upward getting it as far as he could from the girl's reach. The three children just stared at him surprised by what he was doing. The girl tried to grab her doll by jumping but failed. She looked up at Ash with pleading eyes, but he showed no emotion at all and he had kind of a scary look plastered on his face. Her eyes filled up with tears as she begged for him to give it back to her. She finally gave up and started to cry.

"Get out of my sight children!" he spat out.

"HEY! You're no warrior! You just pretend to be so people would respect you and look up to you!" the male of the group said out loud as he advanced on Ash trying to hit him in order to avenge his friend. Ash caught him and threw him back easily.

"You don't have any idea who you're messing with" said Ash dangerously.

"Please give it back… sniff… it's the only thing I have left from my mama" the girl said as her sobbing became louder and louder. Ash glanced at her for a second then looked at the doll. He ripped it in half right in front of the girl's eyes and threw it on the ground. She stared at it in agony. Her sobbing getting a lot louder than before. Ash started to walk away when he heard someone shout.

"Rebecca! Where are you?" the girl instantly yelled back.

"Papa" he finally came to the scene through some bushes.

"Rebecca!" she ran up to him and hugged him tightly.

"Papa… sniff… that man destroyed my dolly and sniff hurt Maxwell" she cried harder as she buried her face in her father's leg.

"What kind of a person are you? Don't you have any mercy in your heart? Those are only children for god's sake!" the girl's father shouted at Ash in great anger. Ash said nothing. He only stared daggers at the man lowering his left hand to his sword handle. He pulled it out of it's sheath slowly. Fear over took Rebecca's father. Rebecca got frightened herself and tightened her grip on her father's clothes. The other two were also as scared as Rebecca was.

"What did you just call me?" asked Ashton dangerously narrowing his eye as he stepped closer to them, his sword waving in front of him.

"Rebecca. Get your friends and get away from here"

"No papa I won't leave you"

"You brought this to yourselves" said Ash heartlessly as he raised his sword above his head and prepared to strike. The man closed his eyes and the kids screamed their lungs out.

Ash saw the pathetic human close his eyes fearfully and was about to cut him in half when someone suddenly appeared right in front of him blocking his target. He stopped his movement abruptly, but wasn't fast enough to prevent the sword completely from hitting. His eyes widened as he realized that the person who stood in his way was her. His heart started pounding rapidly when he saw blood trickling down her forehead.

"Ash…"

TBC…..

**Well… another chappy is already done… hope you liked it… I have the next chapter already written, but no WAY am I gonna post it before I get enough reviews! Lol**

**No seriously I need your opinions to go on with the story. Thanks to all those who reviewed the previous chapters. I appreciate and respect your ideas and thoughts about my fic. Truly… you guys encouraged me to go on… thanks a lot.**


	6. Chapter Five

**HI guys! Miss me? Lol I told ya I had this chappy already written, but I had to fix some stuff which didn't really take that long… the thing is…I got actually kinda lazy so that I even thought that fixing those things would be really boring… OK whatever just read and review… on with the story…**

"Ash…" she managed to say before stumbling backwards. The man caught her and she tried to keep herself balanced. Once she felt the dizziness go away, she stood up straight and looked at Ash with a saddened expression.

"Why?" she asked softly. Her voice barely audible. "You tried to murder an innocent man…in front of his daughter…" her voice was barely above a whisper.

Ash could see the hurt in her eyes, but he said nothing. He just kept staring at her in disbelief not believing what she just did. She had sacrificed her own life for people she didn't even know. If he was a little late from stopping the attack, she would've been dead by now. He still didn't know how she managed to hold herself after what he did for the force of the attack was so powerful it would've thrown anybody to unconsciousness. Ash notice the children getting away with the man right after the little girl picked up her destroyed doll, he didn't give a damn about it. He was more focused on the lady in front of him.

"…I …" he couldn't say anything. His sword dropped from his hand as he realized what he was about to do.

"Ash… why were you torturing those children?" she asked straight.

"Because…" at that moment he figured that he didn't really have a good reason for torturing them. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"I though that you were one of those noble warriors who protect the innocent… And aside from your behavior, I thought I saw something good within you… but I was very wrong" she shook her head sadly and dejectedly.

"I never meant to hurt you" he raised his hand to wipe the blood off. She pushed his hand away from her and stepped back.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled at him. "Why can't you understand? I don't care about what you did to me. I'm only concerned about those poor children you tried heartlessly to hurt. Don't you have any conscience at all?" she was starting to feel the tears welling up but blinked them away.

"I wish I was killed before you came in to save me… It would have been better if I never met you at all" she said quietly. Silence surrounded the two as they stood. "It all happened because of this" she spoke again touching the glowing jewel that was given to her six years ago. Ash looked a little confused.

"I'll tell you why you were there Ash…" she said calmly gazing at the amber "This is the ancient waterflower jewel. It existed from the 15th century. It was created by one of my ancestors to be a symbol of our family's existence. It has to be carried through all generations until the end of the world. That was what they vowed to do. It also has a great power of it's own. It protects it's bearer if necessary by using the universal energy to attract or hypnotize one of the creatures on this planet or maybe more for the sake of helping the bearer in hard times. That explains why your horse reacted the way it did and maybe… why you treated me nicely for a while. However it's power isn't strong enough to protect me all the time… after the energy is used… it's power fades away. It takes a long period of time till it can be used again… days ,weeks or maybe months… it depends on how much of the energy was released since the last time it had been used" she finished her speech and sighed.

"That's impossible… if you're the one who's carrying the jewel of the waterflowers, then you must be…" she only nodded in response.

Ash was totally overwhelmed with shock. He couldn't believe that the girl standing right in front of him was actually one of the four princesses of the cerulean kingdom and the bearer of the royal jewel. One of the women he had to choose from to be his wife.

"I won't be surprised if you just killed me now and took the jewel"

"What?" he asked in apprehension.

"We're alone in the woods and no one's here to protect me. And the jewel doesn't work any more. It's effect had already worn off… you know It can be given to you… if not, then it won't allow itself to be taken by anyone unless you kill it's bearer… and I'd rather be killed than give it to you personally"

"I never said I wanted that thing" he said calmly.

"Why don't you just kill me and get this over with. I know that you lust for blood" she said in a calm mode. "You wanted to kill those innocent people and they got away. You can take me instead…"

Ash kept quiet. He didn't expect to hear something like that. 'Is she throwing herself to death?' Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing. She was a princess and she was ordering him to finish her off. The thing that Ash couldn't get was that she wasn't even scared and she had a determined look on her face though it still had a hint of sadness.

"Do you not fear the pain this sword might cause?"

"The pain that your sword will cause is nothing compared to what I had to go through in my life" she said sincerely.

Ash didn't know what to do. This girl was different than all the other people he'd encountered, not to mention… a princess. His thoughts were cut short as he noticed her lean down to pick up his sword. He watched her as she picked it up and handed it over to him. He stared at her in bewilderment.

"Do it!" she said sternly.

'Is she serious?'

"Rid me of this cruel life"

Ash looked straight in her eyes and saw something deep. Pain, anger, sadness and something else…despair. He glanced down at his sword then back to her. He took his sword from her and just held it still looking at her hoping that she would try to run away or something. He didn't know why but he wanted so much to see her fear. He raised his sword above his head hesitantly preparing for the attack. She still didn't show any sign of fright and just stood there, eyes fixed on his. His heart was pounding hard and he didn't know the cause. 'I have to do this… I can't get weak in front of a girl' he convinced himself as he was about to strike.

"Your highness! Where are you?" Ash stopped what he was doing secretly thanking god when he heard a man's voice followed by the sound of running horses.

"Kill me now!" she ordered him "I command you" she said this time her voice getting quivery. Ash lowered his sword. He didn't want to hurt her.

"Forgive me my lady, but this command I cannot obey" he replied calmly as he retrieved his sword. For the first time since the last incident when the rescuing took place, he saw her fear.

"There she is!" one of the people shouted. "I've found the princess!"

Misty was getting frantic by the minute 'Oh no! They have found me… I don't want to go back there' she was looking around frantically trying to find a way to escape without being noticed by the guards. Ashton watched her as she did this. She was nervously looking for something he couldn't get his finger on. He noticed that she was sweating. 'What is she afraid of?' his thoughts were interrupted when he realized that they were surrounded by tons of guards aiming their weapons his direction.

"That's him! The man who tried to kill us and hurt the princess!" came the familiar voice which belonged to the little girl's father.

"Releaseher at once" ordered the leader of the guards.

Ash glanced at her again. He was surprised to see her staring at the cloud of guards in horror. Obviously, she didn't want to go back with them. So Ash did the first thing that came to his mind.

"Hah! You wish!" he replied loudly as he grabbed Misty by the arm and drew his sword. With a swift movement, she was under his mercy. Misty gasped in astonishment. "Relax" he whispered in her ear so no one would be able to hear what he had to say. "I'll get you out of this" he reassured her. Misty only kept quiet for she wasn't sure if she could trust him or not.

"If you come any closer, you will regret it" he threatened. "LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!"

They all did as he said for they didn't want to risk the princess's life. He managed to get out of the circle they had around them. He walked backward slowly, sword still on the princess's throat. Thankfully no one was behind him so he whistled and in a few seconds his horse arrived and jumped in the scene. He put Misty on first and hopped behind her as fast as he could. The guards all watched helplessly until one of them had had enough and aimed his arrow at Ash but quickly regretted it as he saw Ash slash his sword at the princess's arm. She winced in pain as she held her wound tightly.

"You fool!" shouted the leader at the guard who had tried to nail Ash.

"I warned you" he said coldly as he patted his horse to begin the sprint.

The army kept standing there watching the criminal get away with their princess without a fight.

"We have failed…" mentioned the leader "But we will not surrender" he said in determination as he watched the white horse which carried the princess disappear through the dense trees of the forest.

Ashton kept his horse running through the forest getting deeper and deeper. Though his destination was the cerulean kingdom, he went the opposite way. Once he was sure they got far enough from the army he stopped his horse close to a lake. He glanced down at the girl who had been leaning on his chest the whole time and attempted to whisper in her ear.

"You're safe now" he waited for a response, but none came. "I know you're scared that I might hurt you" he began as he hopped off his horse "but you don't have to be because I-"

"Why did you bring me here?" he was cut short by her weak voice.

"Because it's safer"

"Safer? With you?" she snorted. "You are the last person to talk about safety… you don't even know what it means!" Ash bit his lip with anger, but tried to stay calm. He just noticed that she's also got quite an attitude.

"Well, you should be thanking me instead of looking at me like that"

"I never asked for your help!" she shouted back.

"Maybe I shouldn't have helped you at all or even considered doing it!" he retorted.

"Then why did you?"

He paused for a second not knowing what to say "when I saw your pathetic scared face, I felt compassion towards you that's why!" Misty was getting steamed up and she couldn't handle it any longer. Who did this jerk think he was?

"Excuse me? I don't need compassion from anyone! Especially you! You're nothing but a cold blooded killer who supposedly ISN'T ALLOWED to feel any bit of compassion! You don't have any conscience and you obviously don't care about anything but your self!" by now she was breathing heavily and her face was as red as a tomato. Ash's anger was already getting the best of him. She totally got over the edge.

"THAT'S IT! I had enough of you! I should have shut you up from the beginning!" he could no longer control his temper as he fiercely grabbed her by her neck and pinned her to a tree raising his fist in the air preparing to punch. She shut her eyes tightly. He was scowling and shaking with anger. He kept staring at her face which his fist wanted so much to contact with. Misty was having difficulty breathing. His grip was so strong and tight that she felt herself choking. There was still the punch to come. It was too painful to bear that she started feeling the blood being squeezed out of the wound in her head.

Ash noticed the fresh blood leaking out and instantly regained his composure as he managed to loosen his grip but his expression was still the usual. Once he loosened his grip around her neck, she gasped for breath as dizziness took over her again and made her stumble to the side. She used the tree she was pinned on previously to support her. She leaned on it holding her neck and coughing.

"I should just take you back to where I first found you and throw you for that pathetic bastard… or maybe I'd just take you to your kingdom and ask for a reward for bringing you back!" he yelled at her aggressively.

"N-no!" she retorted, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You either stay here and shut up or I will personally take you there" he threatened dangerously. She just stared at him still holding her neck in pain. "You brought this to yourself!" he spat out and walked away still aggravated from her actions. 'When the time comes to choose my bride, I swear it will not to be her. God! what an attitude'

Misty just slid to the ground totally exhausted and drained of all energy. She sighed tiredly as she sat against the tree leaning her head backward and gazing at the blue sky. She raised her hand to her forehead and touched the place where Ash's sword connected to her skin. The blood was still coming out. The force of Ash's grip must've kept the wound opened. A gentle touch on her cheek made her tear her stare from the beautiful sky to look at the source.

"oh it's you… you scared me" she said sighing in relief realizing that it was just Ash's horse which she decided to name Alexandra. She didn't care what Ash would say. He didn't matter to her at all. Not after what he had done. But there was still something mysterious about him. It was like she knew that something had forced him to be what he was.

"You're different from him Alexandra… why does he treat people this way?" she thought turning her head once again to look at the sky "that jerk… he really does think he's something trying to beat people who are lower than him… this is just disgusting… you must be suffering from him too aren't you?" she asked the horse softly which lowered it's head sadly. "He's using you, isn't he?" Alexandra kept her head low in sadness. Misty only sighed "You and me… we are both the same… the people you love dearly and care about don't give a damn about you or what you're feeling. They just keep you for their own needs. Once they get what they want, they will just throw you away like one of their old belongings" she closed her eyes drinking the bitter reality in and trying to accept it. "We mean nothing to this world" she said as a tear slid down her cheek.

TBC…

**Review review review! I know this chapter wasn't that good but things are starting to get better and the sword fighting is gonna be revealed in the next chapter so don't rush things… I've got everything planned and under control… you'll love the story... stay tooned hehe.**


	7. Chapter Six

**Hey everybody! Sorry for the long delay… I know I should've posted this sooner. Summer's really boring don't ya think? I mean, at school days we couldn't wait till summer's here. But now that it is… I'm bored to death! I do nothing but go to the cinema with my friends and it's not that much of a fun time I tell ya. We're going on a trip in a week so… heck why am I writing this? Just go on and read the story… and don't forget to review…**

"Like, why do we have to wait here while the runt is out playing?" complained violet.

"Like shut up Violet… you know damn well why we are like stuck here" shot Lily.

"Thanks to you Lily we're stuck in this room for god only knows how long. Father is like so angry with us because we scared her away" Daisy sighed dejectedly.

"Oh so now it's my fault! Don't forget that you were a part of it too! Mind if I remind you dear sister… YOU BROUGHT IT UP"

"Enough with the stupid excuses Lily. You were the one who like totally exposed our father's plan carelessly! If you hadn't like, been so harsh with your perfectly chosen words, she might still be locked up in her god forsaken room by now!" Violet shot back.

"Pardon me dear sister, but as I remember, you helped me expose the whole DEATH thing as well!"

"I'm not the one to blame since you did most of the talking!"

"ALRIGHT! LET'S STOP THIS ALREADY" Daisy stood between the two sisters and shouted at the top of her lungs. "Now we must not fight because of her. We have to work out a plan to win our father's trust and forgiveness. By fighting, we will solve nothing" she exclaimed calmly. Violet and Lily looked at each other then at Daisy.

"Like what do you have in mind?" asked Lily.

"We are going to convince him that it wasn't our fault that we were forced to tell her the truth"

"Forced to tell her?" Violet snorted with a bit of sarcasm.

"How are we going to do that?" inquired Lily.

"We simply blame it on Misty" she answered them simply. They both stared at her for a while trying to figure out Daisy's intentions. Wide mischievous grins formed on their faces when they got what she meant.

"Why didn't I think of that?" asked Violet evilly putting her index finger on her chin in wonder. Lily had the same look on her face.

"We have to tell our father before she comes back" declared Daisy.

"But how are we going to get out of here. Did you forget about the guards?" asked Lily.

"You just wait and see what your older sister will do"

* * *

"How dare she say such things about me? She knows nothing at all" he mumbled to himself angrily while stamping through the forest unaware of the shadow that was following behind. "I save her life and all she does is complain about my behavior with the little brats" 

"Stay where you are!" a hoarse voice was heard causing Ash to flinch and turn around immediately.

"Who's there?" he asked out loud as the source of the voice stepped out of the shadows. A man with a gigantic body, which didn't mach his old freckled face, was apparent riding a black horse. He wasn't alone but had a whole army with him. Ash looked around him to see that he was already surrounded by them. he kept standing in his place trying to think of a fast way out of this mess. 'Why did I put myself in this position?' one solution crossed his mind 'No! They can't know my real identity. Heck they won't even believe me if I tell them. Better not risk it' the only other solution left for him was to fight.

"Tell us where you're hiding the princess" demanded one of the men.

'I could just tell them where she is and get rid of her, but then they will take me to prison' he panicked 'I have no choice. I have to fight' he drew his sword from it's sheath and stood in a fighting stance.

"So you want it the hard way?" inquired the leader sarcastically. "You do not stand a chance against us. If you surrender the princess, we will let you go in peace, but if you refuse, you will be nothing but a pile of ash" Ash just stood there with a determined look in his eyes 'that fool thinks I'm an idiot to believe him. I already used that trick once before'

"Fine. Have it your way. Men, you know what to do!" he ordered them as they all charged at Ash one by one. He dodged most of them and knocked them out. 'Damn it! there are too many of them' he thought as he slashed another one. They charged at him with all their might but instead ended up getting knocked out. Ashton didn't have a problem with the first raw of them. The real problem though was in the next charge. Ash was getting tired fast, but surrendering was the last thing on his mind. He injured a lot of them but hadn't had the chance to kill any. He was trying his best to keep up with all of them attacking him at once. His swordsman skills were so great that none of the soldiers had any chance to injure him yet. They were going down one by one along with Ashton's strength as tiredness started to take over.

"Getting tired already?" asked the leader sarcastically though he couldn't deny that he was pretty astonished at Ashton's skills and abilities. He was just sitting on his horse watching the fight. "You did a great job beating that many of my soldiers knight! But you will not be able to defeat me" he declared as he hopped off his horse and stepped toward Ash. The remaining soldiers stepped aside to clear his path.

'I swear to god. Once I get back to my normal respective position, I'll have this bastard pay for what he is doing' Ash swore in his head as he held his sword in a fighting stance glaring at the leader of the army.

The man reached Ash shortly and instantly drew his sword advancing on him. Ash wasn't prepared for this sudden attack. He dodged it but just barely only to have his shirt torn as he stumbled on some rocks. Taking this as an opportunity, the leader charged at him once again thrusting his sword in his side. Ash yelled out in great pain and held his right side with his left hand tightly. He was about to fall forwards, but resisted and stayed standing. His legs were shaking indicating that they weren't able to carry him any more, but he refused to fall.

"You want more?" asked the man mockingly as Ash stood there bending forward. He stared dangerously at the soldier while spitting out some of his own blood.

"I swear you are going to regret this" spat Ash.

"Hah! You're in no position to be saying that" he sneered at him. Ash gritted his teeth angrily and stood straight trying to ignore the pain.

The soldier charged again but this time Ash dodged it easily. He managed to strike back and injure his arm. The man held his cry and began sending deathly slashes toward Ash. He dodged most of them, but couldn't get away from the last one that connected with his shoulder. He got also cut in his arms and his cheek. The force of the blows was so powerful that he couldn't bear at all. He finally fell to his knees gasping for air and spitting out blood.

"Had enough?"

"You don't know who… you're dealing -_cough_- with" he said between gasps.

"If you tell us where she is, I'll spare your life. But if you don't…" he said putting his sword to Ash's throat. To the leader's surprise, a grin formed on Ashton's face.

"You know what? I wouldn't consider you a tough opponent -_cough-_ at all…to tell you the truth you're just a powerless idiot of a soldier -_cough-_ so coward that you let your soldiers weakenyour enemy so that you will have less problems defeating me… how pathetic" the leader was getting angrier and decided he didn't want to further listen to that swordsman.

As he lifted his sword to strike, Ash saw this and summoned all his energy and swiftly swung his sword to his opponent's stomach stabbing him hard in the guts. He yelped in shock and fell to his knees Ash got up as quick as he could and ran aimlessly away from the army which was dumb enough to leave him flee.

* * *

"Father… we never meant to say it. She made us" cried Lily. 

"Like, yeah. She was like totally getting over confident" followed Violet.

"Her ego went like, way over the edge" the king just sat there listening while his daughters babbled about Misty. They had managed to trick the men who were guarding the room they were in and got out.

"We were like, forced to tell her the whole DEATH thing when she went off describing herself as the prettiest and saying that she got her natural beauty from her real father"

"Yeah and she like, also mentioned how she wished that her real father was still alive and kicked you off your throne to like, rule our kingdom" the king contemplated what they said for a while thinking that his gorgeous daughters would never lie to him. He looked at them seeing the pleading looks in their eyes.

"And why would she say such things?" he spoke up finally.

"Well… we all know that you always preferred us over her so she got jealous" announced Violet calmly.

"Really?" the king raised his eyebrow doubtfully.

"Then she like, said what she said about you and that she can't live with us anymore… that's when we lost our temper and told her the whole thing unintentionally!" said Lily.

"Aha… I see now" he nodded understandingly.

"You see father? You like, punished us for something we were not responsible of" mumbled Daisy teary eyed.

"I'm sorry my children. Forgive me for being cruel to you" he said as he stood up.

"Oh father!" they all cried in unison as they embraced their father in a hug.

"You will punish her when she gets back won't you?" pleaded Lily as she looked up at him. He just nodded in reply.

"No one insults my beautiful daughters and make me think of them wrong and gets away with it" he answered, hint of anger in his voice.

* * *

Misty woke up to the sound of the awls hooting in the dark gloomy night. 'I must've drifted off' she thought turning to see Alexandra standing just a few steps away from her eating some hay that Misty had found previously in the forest and brought it with her to the place where Ash left them last 

"It's already dark Alexandra and we still don't have a place to spend the night" complained Misty. 'Where's Ash? He's been gone since this afternoon. Could he just leave without his horse?' she thought as she stroked Alexandra's hair and stood up walking toward the lake and sitting by it. She gazed at the beautiful view of the water glittering under the sparkling stars. She started thinking about all that happened from that fateful night till now. She woke up from her trance when she heard something in the bushes. She stood up quickly stepping backward in fear it might be something dangerous.

"Alexandra" she called quietly, her stare fixated on the bush which the noise came from. The horse came to her instantly and stood besides her also waiting for whatever it was to come out. The thing finally stepped out of the bush. Misty's fear turned into panic when she discovered that the creature that stepped out of the bush was none other than Ash. He fell to his knees in total exhaustion coughing out blood and gasping for breath.

"Oh dear lord… Ash!" she screamed as she rushed to his side. She took his cloak off hurriedly and held his shoulders trying to make him lie back. "Everything is going to be fine"

She assured him as she gently pushed him to the ground. He grimaced from the pain in his stomach as he lay on the ground, eyes squeezed shut in agony as Misty took a moment to scan his body. He had several cuts on his arms, but they weren't severe. She also noticed the blood covering his shoulder. Realizing he didn't have a shirt on, she blushed but pushed that thought aside for she needed to take care of him at this moment instead of thinking that way. She noticed his arms were rapped tightly around his stomach. Misty tried to move them away but he resisted.

"Ash I need you to lift your arms a bit" she said softly

"That's… impossible" he replied with only one opened eye. He thought that if he did move his arms, the pain would increase.

"Please Ash you have to let me see it… trust me" she said with a lot of worry in her aqua blue eyes as she waited. Ash loosened his grip slowly but painfully. She took his hands away gently to reveal a really deep gash. She gasped and put her hand on her mouth in shock.

"You just wait here. Don't move until I come back… I promise you'll get better" she said trying to make him feel better as she smiled to reassure him before getting up to get what she needed for aiding his injuries.

Once Misty was gone, he groaned and shut his eyes trying to forget the pain. He felt a breath on his cheek as he opened his eyes tiredly to see his white horse's face above his own. Ash tried lifting his hand to pat his horse. He did it with a lot of effort though. Misty came back shortly with a bowl of water in one hand and some leaves in the other.

"Hold still Ash. This might hurt a bit" she kneeled beside him and tore a piece of her dress. Soaking it with warm water she had taken from the lake, she squeezed the water out and quickly pushed the cloth to Ash's wound. He yelled in great pain and tried pushing her hand away, but she held him tight.

"Don't move! You'll make it worse!" she remarked but he didn't respond.

"Ash, stop it… calm down" he tried to calm down and eventually did. "I assure you, you'll be alright by tomorrow if you stop struggling" she said slowly looking at his agonized eyes. "I know you are strong…" she finished as she proceeded to tend his wounds.

He closed his eyes once again and tried desperately to forget the sharp pain. As time passed by with Misty still working on his injuries, he unexpectedly fell asleep.

TBC…

**Well what do you know? The sixth chappy's already done… review plz I need your opinions to go on. I love it when ppl tell me what they think of my fic… well I wanna thank all who reviewed my previous chappies…**

Hakajin, Ash and Misty forever, Killer of all Hentai's.BWAHA, Angel, bluejolteon459, Volpix4Life, Quynh Nhu, Princess Star Neco, RayneShadow, Michael Bulaich, AAMF, Funkyafroman, devilishangel, Moogle girl, Sumi Lys, L' Fleur Noir, starwing, monkey, Special Agent Black Storm, beyondlove.

**Thanks you guys! You've been a great help to me and I'm really delighted that you liked my story. Remember that you guys are the main part of it. **


	8. Chapter Seven

**Ok you guys. I know it's been too long since I last updated**** and I'm sorry. **_**You have my deepest appologies heehehe. Anyways, **_**after 2 years or so of writing nothing, I suddenly had the urge to continue this story even though I really didn't like what I wrote when I was a kid. I may have improved a bit, but I still think that my writing is crappy so don't be mad at me if you don't like this chapter, I'm still walking the path of improvement. And also as some of you might have noticed, I changed the title of the story. it used to be called, Desperate love...I just thought the old one was too... ummm cliche and the first six chapters totally matched it in clicheness or whatever. I just think it was kind of stupid, so I decided to change it to something better I guess. trust me you guys, the story is going to get better and better now that the title has changed hehe... Ok on with the fic…**

Chapter seven

Ash: 18

Misty: 17

Daisy: 21

Violet: 20

Lilly: 19

Gary: 20

Rudy: 18

Mary: 11

Prof. Oak: 67

Rudy's mother (Amelia): 41

It was bright yet dark, warm but not deathly warm, uncomfortable and at the same time cosy. _What is this? I feel like I'm wearing women's attire. It's hard to breathe! _He thought as his eyes slowly started to open, squinting every second in an attempt to adjust to the beaming brightness of the sun. He realized he was lying under a huge willow tree that shielded him a bit from the burning rays of the sun. He started to sit up and instantly regretted the action as he felt a sharp pain piercing through his side. He moved his left hand to his right side instinctively realizing what made him feel breathless. There, rapped tightly around his stomach, was a dark grey fabric that seemed quite familiar. He noticed the huge blood stain on his right side and remembered the fight he had with the Cerulean kingdom soldiers. He stared at the fabric for a while then it clicked. He furrowed his eyebrows and gritted his teeth in fury.

"Oh good you're awake" a voice with a sarcastic tone was heard not very far from where he was sitting. His slightly angered face turned expressionless for a while hiding his true feelings.

"For some odd reason I believe you are not very happy about that" he retorted in the same manner keeping a stern look on his face. She only shrugged as she approached him with some fruits, placed them near by and stood up to leave.

"You ruined the cloak." He stated referring to the stained cloth rapped around his right shoulder and mid section. She looked at him returning all the anger he put in his words toward him with her sharp agitated stare. His eyes showed a brief flash of surprise but returned to their usual emotionless nature in an instant. She kept staring for a while then finally decided to walk away. _What's with her all of a sudden? Last night she was begging me to stay alive and now… it is as if my being here is the last thing she wants… Strange woman. _He turned his attention to the fruits and suddenly felt hungry. "How long have I been sleeping?" he asked more to himself and picked a fruit, taking bite after another. He ate like there was no tomorrow. The next thing he knew, he finished all of them. He leaned his back against the tree trunk and gazed at his surroundings. Thoughts of the other day engulfed his mind. He slightly jumped when he heard something crashing to the ground next to him.

"I've found it not very far away from here; I thought you might need it." He glanced at her then averted his eyes to his now shiny unstained sword. "You should be able to take care of yourself from now on." she stated and started to walk away again, but stopped as she remembered something. "And I already fed your horse so don't worry about anything… both of you will be fine." The last sentence came out like a whisper though it was audible. Her departing form moved again and this time it didn't stop. When the realization hit him that she was actually leaving, he stood up quickly ignoring the pain and rushing over to catch up to her.

"Misty!" he shouted as he threw himself in front of her, stopping her in the process. "I mean… your highness… I… Thank you" his voice didn't show any sign of gratefulness regardless of the words he chose to say.

"I have to say it is quit odd hearing this from you, but you are very welcomed." she said as she walked past him.

"Wait!" he grabbed her hand stopping her again. She was beginning to loose her temper. He is acting weird though everything else about him seemed as cold as ever. "Where are you going?"

"Back to the kingdom."

"I thought you didn't like it there."

"That does not concern you."

"What's with this attitude?! Yesterday you were as sweet as a butterfly and now you're a completely different person. It is as if you have two personalities"

"Yesterday?" she asked, laughing afterwards. "You were never awake yesterday. You were unconscious for almost three days if not more" he was a little surprised to hear that but it didn't bother him much.

"you didn't answer my question. Why the sudden change of behavior?"

"How do you expect me to treat you after what you did? First those children and then dragging me all the way here claiming you did it in order to save me. I demand to know what your intention is of keeping me away from my kingdom!" she was fuming with anger, but deep down she feared every second she spent in this mans company. She had no clue of his intentions. She only realized that a couple of days ago. She finally decided that this isn't a person she'd rather spend time with. Ashton saw through her and knowing him, he thirsts for fear. His mouth twisted forming a mischievous grin.

"Interesting." Was the only word he murmured. The strange smile still plastered his face. Misty furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Her fear getting the best of her.

"What is?" _this man is definitely not normal! I'm not staying here a moment longer. _"Nevermind. I'm leaving. Take care of yourself, not that I care." She turned and walked away. He stood there, sighed to himself and returned to the spot under the willow tree. Leaning his back on the tree trunk and sliding to a sitting position, sighing again. "Just when I thought things could get more… amuzing" he started to laugh lightly as he remembered her scared face, but stopped as a sharp pain shot through his side. _Damn it. I completely forgot about my injury. _He smirked once again."It won't be long until I see your face again, princess. Just you wait." Suddenly his whole body felt sore and he decided that he's not going to go anywhere for sometime.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I can't believe I lost my way. I'm not even sure which way I came from… I'm so hopeless." She complained as she slumped to the grassy ground putting her weight on her palms as she positioned them slightly behind her against the ground. She gazed up at the sky trying to think of a way to get back to the kingdom. "Even if I don't find the way back, someone is bound to find me. I'm sure the guards are still searching for me." She looked around for some time. _How far am I from the kingdom anyway?!! _She thought franticly as the possibility of being stuck in the forest or someone else finding her struck her harshly. She stood up as fast as she could thinking back to the first person she encountered in this forest. She gulped in fright but shook her head trying to get the thought out of her mind. _I cannot give up now. I have to find my way back! The sooner the better! _And so she started her journey once again determined to find her way no matter what. _Life in the palace is way better than it is out here where danger is lurking from every where._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"Your majesty! King Arthur has arrived!" a guard informed.

"Escort him to the audience hall."

"Yes sire."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey you!" The raven haired man stopped his horse from proceeding and tilted his head toward the bandits, not bothering to utter a word of response. "Give up your valuables!"

"I prefer not to" he smirked at the leader and patted his white horse informing it to proceed. He didn't have time to waste on such things. It was getting dark and he needed to reach his goal as soon as possible.

"Are you mocking me kid?!" he received nothing but silence. "How dare you ignore the al mighty bandits of the south?! After him!" one second they were running towards him preparing to strike and the next they were sent flying through the air by the horses vicious kick. "Coward! You let your horse do the work for you"

"I don't have time to waste on dirt such as yourselves." The cold tone and stare Ashton directed at them sent shivers up their spines as they lay on the ground. Ash suddenly noticed that one of them wore a long black cloak. So he changed his mind about leaving and hopped off his horse. He walked calmly toward the cloaked man, pulling out his sword from its sheath and pointing it at the bandit's neck. "I would thoroughly appreciate it if you will lend me the cloak you are wearing." Ash received a smirk as the other two were just about to strike him when all of a sudden came a gurgled sound and a deathly scream from behind him. The bandit who sat in front of Ash looked on in dismay at the scene as one of the attacking bandits descended to the ground blood seeping from a cut about 60cm long reaching from the top of his head to the end of his ribcage and the other had a sword stuck in his neck. Ash slowly pulled his sword out of the attacker's neck sending him to the ground. The bandit sitting in front of him was by the time shaking in sheer fear as the raven haired knight redirected his attention to him. He flinched at the cold stare he received and immediately took off his cloak handing it to Ash. Ash walked back to his horse right after draping the cloak around his shoulders. "Your generosity saved your life." he commented before hopping on his mare and disappearing from view.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It's been more than a week since his departure from the palace" announced King Arthur as he picked his drink.

"I thought he would accompany you." Retorted Philip as he took a sip of his own drink.

"He insisted on leaving on his own and he was supposed to have arrived here days ago… could the dangers of the forest have slowed him down?"

"You let him go unguarded?!" King Philip almost spit his drink when he heard what he couldn't believe.

"King Philip! My son can take on ten soldiers with a single swing of his sword! He does not need protection." Stated the other king as he took another sip of his drink.

"Even so king Arthur. A boy of royal blood must not be allowed to leave his palace unguarded."

"I am thoroughly aware of that, but he insisted on leaving solo. After all, he has reached the age of maturity therefore I believe he has to take responsibility of his own decisions."

"Fairly true… though I believe it's best to send someone after him to insure his safety that is."

"King Philip! You are asking me to neglect the respect I have for my son! Do you realize that?!" his chair almost fell over as he stood angrily, fuming at King Philip for his disrespectful suggestion.

"My apologies dear Arthur. I believe I've gone quite overboard. Do not let what I've said get to you. You have my sincerest apologies" _I only hope Mystearica is found before Ashton makes his arrival._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_I can't go on much longer… I need to rest. _It was night fall and still there was no sign of the kingdom anywhere not just the kingdom, but nothing. There was absolutely nothing but animals and bugs, and that was the least she wanted. _I feel sick! For almost ten days I haven't been eating anything but apples! This life is really hard to cope with. _She didn't stop walking despite her fatigue. The forest was getting creepier by the second. Back when she was with Ash, she didn't fear anything. For some reason she felt safe around him. _What am I thinking?! I can't possibly miss him! He's inhuman! Then again… my father and sisters are inhuman in someway too and I miss them. I must be the one who's out of her mind. _She stopped as she heard something. It sounded like… people. Lots of people. She ran to the direction of the voices. They started to get louder and louder. And then smoke came to her view. She ran towards it and stopped just before she entered the clearing. She quickly hid herself behind some bushes and made a quick scan of the area. It seemed like a small village, but there was something strange about it. _That's odd… I don't see any women or children around. _All she saw were men. They were about thirty. Most of them gathered around a huge fire drinking and laughing while others walked around carrying weapons and tossing them in one tent. About a couple of them seemed to be loading their horses with equipments. She noticed that those weren't all of them as some came from outside the village or more accurately, the camp also carrying valuables and tossing them in tents or piling them on the ground._ A wandering village. _She concluded. As she looked around more, something or rather someone caught her eye. _No…it can't be…_

Her eyes couldn't get any wider than they were. She slowly backed away careful not to make a sound and sprinted away from the place.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Two weeks Ashton, and still you haven't showed up. I'm starting to think Philip was right. _Thought the king of the east as he was lead to King Philip's chamber. The guard permit him to enter. He slowly made his way into the chamber finding Philip sitting on his chair awaiting him. "Your majesty"

"What can I do for you dear Arthur?"

"I believe there's no need for my staying in your kingdom any longer. I will consider your suggestion about sending someone to find my son but until he is found I cannot stay here-"

"Your majesty!" dashed a gaurd into the kings chamber.

"How dare you!" shouted the king.

"The prince has arrived your majesty!" Arthur forgot what he was about to say and walked quickly to the exit of the chamber. King Philip followed closely behind him shouting to the guard to escort Ashton to the audience hall. They both made their way there and waited for him to arrive. The doors of the huge room parted revealing a person wearing a long cloak with a hood covering his face. Both kings stared at him as he bowed on one knee in front of them.

"Good heavens Ashton! What took you?" came the frantic burst of King Arthur.

"My apologies father. I was… distracted." Arthur approached his son worriedly. Ashton stood up and faced him. "Do not concern yourself with me father. I am alright."

"Son!" this time it was Philip who called him. "Why are you still wearing your hood?"

"My apologies." Said Ash as he lifted his hood revealing his handsome face. Both the kings' eyes caught the scar on his left cheek.

"Dear Arthur, you did not tell me your son has such an obvious birth mark."

"That is not a birth mark. Ashton what happened to you?"

"I trespassed a bandit territory but they weren't much of a challenge. Do not worry. Your son is a man of steel"

"My my… for a prince, you have the courage of an elite knight" Ash smiled at the western king's remark.

"I'm only grateful to my father for he has arranged skillful master swordsmen to train me. Ever since mother's death, I have always been practicing."

"Very impressive. Now come, Ashton. You must be tired. I have had the servants arrange a bath for you." He gestured to one of the guards who nodded and exited the room only to re-enter followed by a maid. "Please escort the prince to his chambers." The maid bowed and turned to Ash.

"Please follow me your highness." She started exiting the room. Ash followed her after bowing before both kings thanking god for reminding him to wear a shirt over his now scared torso.

_I wonder if Misty made it out of the forest. I spent a week roaming around but there was no sign of her. Then again the forest is really huge. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Later that night

"Still no sign of her?"

"Forgive me your majesty. We have searched everywhere."

"Well it's too late now, but keep searching."

"Yes, your majesty."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All she saw was darkness. She was lost. There was no way out of this creepy forest. But wait, this wasn't a forest. There were no trees no animals no bugs. It was just… dark. Pitch black. She started to hear whisperings. _What's happening?_ The sounds grew louder.

"Shhh can't you see the poor girl has been through a lot. Let her rest." Misty recognized it as an elderly female voice.

"But she hasn't woken up ever since I found her last night! Something must be wrong with her!" a male voice responded. Her eyelids slowly started to part. Her vision was slightly blurry but soon adjusted to reality.

"Oh my! She's woken up!" exclaimed the old lady happily as she was suddenly shoved out of Misty's view to be replaced by a lively handsome young man who looked about the same age as the princess. He had brown hair with matching chestnut eyes. He held both her hands in his as he began his speech.

"How are you feeling? Do you hurt? Can you move? What's your name?!" Misty only blinked at the number of questions he blurted out at once. Because of the many questions, she had no idea how to answer. Therefore, she said the only thing that came to mind.

"Where am I?" the boy and the old lady blinked and exchanged glances.

"You're in Lavender village at the far northern section of the forest." Misty looked confused. The boy noticed and started explaining.

"I found you not far away from the village last night. You seemed drained. Were you lost or something?" Misty noticed that he was still holding her hands. She kept silent as her cheek got pink. When he realized it, a blush crept to his face as well and he instantly let go.

"Y-yes. I was trying to get back to my home but I couldn't find my way out of that forest." She said as she sat up.

"That forest is like a maze child. If you get lost, you can never come out. Only those who are familiar with it can survive. What were you doing on your own in such a dangerous place?"

"I… I was with someone, but we separated." She looked downwards, her bangs covering her eyes.

"Well child, you're lucky to be alive. How long have you been there… if I may ask?"

"I do not know. I lost track of time. Though if what I remember is correct… it's been probably more than two weeks." She said calmly on the verge of tears. The old lady was astonished.

"Oh my-"

"Mother please, do not make this any harder on her than it is!" he reasoned with his mother trying to calm her own. "Why don't we cook you something? You must be hungry." He smiled at the princess as he received a nod. "Great… by the way, would you grant me the honor of knowing your name?"

"Misty" she replied avoiding mentioning her full name.

"Misty…A beautiful name for a beautiful maiden, my name is Rudy and I'm grateful to have met you my lady." He offered his hand to her and she accepted it, though hesitantly. She glanced at Rudy's mother for a moment, receiving a smile, before she felt herself being pulled out of the room.

TBC

**Don't forget to review. I need your feedback on this chapter.**** Sayounara until next time.**


	9. Chapter eight

**Hey everyone! I'd like to thank dbzgtfan2004, Special Agent Black Storm, Hakajin, love-is-in-the-air, Jade, Sumi, Julie(who's not a member) lol, Sam, Samy and MidnightApparition. Thanks for the reviews. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. Ok I can't think of anything else to say right now so let's get on with the story.**

Chapter eight

"Ashton son, those are my daughters. Daisy, Violate and Lilly." They all bowed in respect. _Just as I expected. She didn't make it out of the forest. Damn it._

"Why isn't your fourth daughter present?" Asked Ash before he realized his mistake.

"How did you know about the fourth one?"

"I thought I heard some villagers on my way to the palace say something about 'The four princesses' or so I remember, so I have assumed you have four daughters your majesty." _Smooth escape Ash..._

"Aha so that is how you found out… Well Ashton you have heard right only you missed one thing." Ash looked at him expectantly. "My eldest daughter is already married." Ash's eyes narrowed into slits.

_Eldest? Misty's even younger than me! She's probably the youngest of the four! Why does he lie? _"Well your majesty, you know as well as everyone here that this is a very important day for both of our kingdoms. Married or not, she should still be present. If she does not make her arrival soon, then I'm afraid we cannot end this night with what you've been hoping for." Stated Ash as calmly as he could manage, and noticed the king's amusing reaction. He tried as best he could to restrain his smirk and keep a cool coverage.

"Hehe. Ashton, stop making such unnecessary jokes." Laughed the king nervously but slowly stopped as he saw Ashton's serious look.

"This isn't a joke."

"Then is it a threat, boy?!"

"Call it as you please. What I said is the truth and my father has the same opinion. If she does not make her arrival tonight, the peace treaty will not be signed… And your majesty?" Ash paused for a while watching the king's every reaction. "I do not believe 'boy' is a very appropriate way to address a high respected prince such as myself, therefore I suggest you watch your language whilst conversing with royalty that are higher in level of strength and prosperity." With that said he turned around disappearing through the crowd, leaving the king and his daughters fuming with rage and humiliation.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

_That idiot! I should have known better than to leave her case unsolved. Once this night is over, I will seek her personally. And that king! How can he enjoy himself while his own flesh and blood is still lost out there in the woods and above all, how can he lie so casually about her? Such impudence! No wonder she ran away! That must be the cause! He's the one behind it all! Though I must be absolutely certain…_he reached a balcony and leaned his elbows on the railing directing his gaze to the star-crystallized navy blue sky. He breathed in the fresh air of the night and sighed finally releasing his anger and letting the breeze carry it away. He sighed again and replaced his anger with determination. _Tonight Misty… I will find you… be safe._ His thoughts were cut short as he saw a shadow of someone approaching from behind. He didn't bother to turn around.

"What do you want?" his inquiry came blunt and abrupt causing the person to slightly flinch.

"Prince Ashton. It is I, Lillian. I was hoping to spend some time with you this evening, if you don't mind that is." Her answer never came. Her nervousness gradually turned to annoyance. "Do you not wish to know me?" she waited for an answer once again and just when she thought he wasn't going to say anything, he responded.

"With all do respects Lady Lillian, but I have no interest in you what so ever. I am truly sorry." His voice came as calm as a breeze, but she felt herself get blown away as if she was a mere useless ant. She instinctively rushed to where he was standing and yanked his right arm as hard as she could. But it didn't do much because his arm was yanked back. His expression remaining impassive, though inside he cursed as he felt the searing pain of the old wound in his upper arm.

"Ashton! Do not tell me you have already chosen your bride!" She felt a mixture of emotions surging through her, pain, rage, jealousy and apprehension. She got even angrier at his silence, but somehow wished he would stay that way for she dreaded the words that would follow.

"…I have." The answer she wished would never come finally came and her jealousy started to take over.

"Who?" silence once again, but this time he turned around and walked past her in the direction of the ball.

"I believe the night is over. If you would be kind as to inform his majesty of my departure, I would truly appreciate it." He stated before he entered the ball room.

"Why are you running away from the question?!" she shouted and he stopped momentarily tilting his head in her direction.

"I believe I have made it clear earlier this evening. If the last member of the family does not come, there will be no peace treaty. And if you hadn't known my lady, my supposed marriage should be the main part of the treaty. Which means the marriage should happen because of it. But since there's no treaty to begin with, then why should I force myself to marry into your family?" he started to walk away as soon as he finished his speech leaving a crushed Lilly behind.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Misty wandered around the village observing every activity she passed by. People selling cloths, others cooking food and some drinking and singing and having a good time. Even though it was night, laughter and voices of joy filled the air. The lively scenes brought a smile to her innocent face. She had never been to a village before, so this was new to her.

"Oh that's grandpa Oak over there! Let's go see him Misty!" chirped the little girl, who appeared to be accompanying Misty on her village stroll, excitedly as she ran off to an old man standing at what appeared to be a store. Misty followed her as quickly as she could trying not to lose sight of her.

"Marry wait!" she eventually caught up to her. There was an old man with grey hair and light colored eyes, standing right in front of her. he was wearing the typical brown and off white clothes that most of the villagers wore.

"Grandpa, look I have a big sister now! Isn't she pretty?!"

"My my child, you haven't changed at all." He remarked on Marry's behavior. He then looked at Misty and slightly bowed. "You are the maiden from the forest correct?" Misty nodded. "How do you like the village child?"

"It's very lovely. I am truly grateful to have been brought here." Her smile broadened.

"Yes I believe so myself too. Ah that forest… you certainly do not want to get captured there. I lost my grandson in that forest three years ago."

"Oh I am terribly sorry" she said as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Do not concern yourself child. It has been so long I have forgotten about it. I consider myself blessed to have Rudy and little Marry here by my side." Misty smiled once again and as she did, a boy popped from out of nowhere surprising the group.

"Hey old man! What have you been saying about me? Don't try to deny it! I know you said some bad things about me! You always do!"

"Oh I did not as much as mention your name."

"I'm taking Misty away before you corrupt her mind with your blabbering."

"Rudy that's not very nice…" said Misty as Rudy grabbed her free left hand ready to dash off away form his grandfather's store. Oak noticed and chuckled.

"Does this mean that you have finally agreed?" asked the old man smiling broadly at his grandson. Rudy just smiled and turned around to leave dragging a confused Misty and a super happy sister along with him.

_What was that all about?_

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

There was a whole army of them. There's no possible way of survival in that case. He can't face this many men on his own. But he had to take the risk in order to know. He slowly made his way out from behind some bushes to their camp-village-like sight. The men turned towards the stranger slightly confused. They all stood up in defense.

"What do you want boy?" Ash stopped walking. He kept quiet for a while before replying.

"I wish to speak with your leader." They all started laughing as if he had just said a stupid thing. Ash narrowed his eyes in agitation. If there's one thing he disliked, it's people laughing in his presence not to mention that those guys were actually laughing at him. He smirked subconsciously as he remembered what he used to do to whoever dared doing it. They stopped laughing after they saw his evil smirk. That's when some of them thought that this man was not a good person. A gruff voice suddenly broke the dense atmosphere.

"What are ye all standing about for?"

"It's a boy! He says he has something to say to you!" exclaimed one of the bandits. They cleared the path as their leader stepped out of the shadows, his face slightly familiar. Ash's smirk quickly turned to a scowl. He gritted his teeth and his eyebrows knitted as some unwelcome memories came back to him.

"You!" he glared at Ash in pure anger, remembering his encounter with the boy. It was the same boy who sent him to his knees nearly three weeks ago only this time, something seemed different about him. His clothes weren't the dirty ugly colored clothes. This time he looked more like a royal. "I see you have joined the royal family of Goldenrod. Or were you in fact already a royal when I last saw you?" he received nothing but glares. "I don't remember you being that quiet boy." Ash still said nothing. The leader started to scowl at Ashes behavior. Just when he was about to throw another remark, Ashes lips started to form some words.

"Do you have her?"

"Have who?" silence again. "You must mean that woman! Why? Did she abandon you?" He stated as an unusual laugh escaped his white lips. Ash kept glaring at him unfazed. "God must be on my side. I believe I've been given another chance." Ashes anger rose to its limit, but he concealed it.

_There's no need to waste my time over the likes of him. I got the answer I was seeking._ His Anger didn't subside though he was a little relieved to know that she didn't fall into their hands._ if she was not here, then where is she? This man could be fooling me though I doubt it since there is no need to conceal the truth from a dead man in any case. Could she have left the forest? If so then I believe there are only two possible places…_

"You have just stepped in your tomb boy. Once you leave this earth, I will persuade my second chance and this time I will be satisfied." Ash shot him a death glare, this time he thoroughly lost his temper. He drew his sword skillfully dashing toward his opponent in an incredible speed slashing effortlessly at him. The other man was taken by surprise but was able to defend himself with his spear. His men stepped away from the two watching the battle in amusement. Ashes quick strikes impressed them.

"I hate to admit it, but the boy is really good." said one of the bandit admiring Ashes moves and critical strikes. His friend heard him and nodded his head in agreement. The battle took on less than five minutes and ended with Ash standing over the leader with his sword directed to the man's throat. The spear was knocked out of his hands and laid 20 feet away from him. The whole army of bandits stared at the scene in shock.

"If you value your life, I suggest you take back every word you said and I will pretend I didn't hear anything from you." The man stared at him frustrated but scared all the same thinking of what to do. Whispers could be heard through the crowd.

"Did you see that?"

"He defeated him with only a couple of strikes!"

"The boss didn't even put a scratch on him."

"How can a little boy overpower a man as huge and strong as Gary?" one of the men looked more scared than the others and whispered to the gang something.

"That's him! The knight who killed our comrades!" more whispers could be heard as Ash withdrew his sword and turned towards the gang.

"I have no time to waste with the likes of you." He said in a calm monotonous voice before leaving the scene without having to have to fight anyone else. His cold eyes sent the men shivering even when they knew they could defeat him if they outnumbered him. But the shock of having their boss almost killed in a blink of an eye still lingered over them that they couldn't think straight as to not let him go.

"I hate to break it to you Gary, but that boy is even scarier than you."

"I think if he were to be our leader, every human being would bow at our feet!"

"What did you say?!" he couldn't believe they'd abandon him and put a boy in his place. He glared daggers at them as they backed away from him.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Like how long are you going to keep sulking like that?" since her conversation with Ash a week ago, Lilly has not been herself. She stayed most of the time in her room and whenever her sisters quarreled she didn't butt in as she usually did. Her mind was always occupied with Ash and how he made a fool out of her.

"He's so obnoxious!" _but soooo handsome! _Regardless of the insults she's directing at the prince, Daisy had other thoughts on her mind. Though she did not wish to reveal them to her sisters who happened to be her greatest rivals.

"Like forget about him Lilly! You think if he took you for his wife you'd be happy? He would probably treat you like the dirt he steps on! Just thank god none of us was chosen. Sure he's handsome but he has the eyes of a cold blooded killer. Think Lilly! Do you really want to spend the rest of your god damn life with such a man?!"

"Those words… they hurt more than any slap I can ever get… he was so cruel! How dare he say such things!"

"Father is still trying to solve the problem and knowing him, he wouldn't want to start a loosing war. The goldenrod army is known to be the strongest army in the world, so we like totally need their alliance. By now, father is probably trying to convince King Arthur to reconsider the matter." Stated Daisy wisely.

"You mean there's still a chance?"

"Like what's with you Lilly? First you keep complaining about his attitude and the next thing you forgot everything he's said to you!" Violet sighed in frustration at her sister's dumb hope of marrying Ash.

"I can't believe you still want to marry him!" stated Daisy bluntly as she busied herself with her nails.

"Like totally!"

…………………………………………………………………………………………...

The journey through the village was perfect to Misty. She smiled as she thought about the new friends she made in the village. She felt this place was her home. In this village, she felt loved. A love she'd never experienced back in her kingdom.The three reached a small house that happened to be Rudy's and Marry's home. She smiled to herself in happiness and content, wishing that this was her home as well. Rudy opened the door for both girls to go in. they entered the house smelling the pleasant aroma of supper. Misty thought she could help Rudy's mother out in the kitchen, so she started making her way toward it, before she felt a rough hand grab her wrist. She turned her head towards the boy, a quizzical expression plastering her features as she looked at his serious face.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked out of concern as she searched his eyes for some kind of hint of what he was thinking of.

"Not at all… though, there is something I wish to talk to you about." His reply made Misty's concern grow, so she faced him completely, thinking that he was bothered with something.

"What is it?" Rudy thought that her voice seemed silkier than ever when worry showed in her tone. He took her hand and dragged her up the squeaky stairs and into his room. Misty started to feel awkward and anxiety began to take over.

"R-Rudy" She stuttered when she noticed him closing the door, but her fear slowly subsided when she felt him lose his grip on her wrist and walk towards his bed. She stood close to the door not moving, carefully watching him as he sat on his bed. He sighed and kept quiet for a while then he lifted his head and looked at her. She flinched.

"Why don't you sit down?" he inquired as he patted the space beside himself. Then he noticed her eyes were cast down at her fingers, which started fumbling with the hem of her upper garment. "Don't be afraid, I would never harm you."

He watched her as she slowly lifted her head, nervousness apparent in her eyes. He felt a little disappointed that she feared him, but then he thought any girl in her place would have felt the same way. He patted the bed again reassuring her that it was alright. He watched as she slowly approached him and sat next to him, her eyes still on her hands. He sighed and thought about what he was about to say.

"You know Misty… before you appeared in our lives, my mother would always force me to see other girls, so that I could finally get married and create a new life of my own. For three long years, I would always keep hearing this annoying statement: I want to see your children before I die. Hehe she would repeat it more than three times a day." Misty smiled, picturing Amelia nagging at Rudy's personal life.

"If my brother, Gary was still around, he would have been the one suffering instead of me." He laughed again and paused for a while. Misty remembered hearing something about this Gary person from Rudy's grandfather.

"So… where is Gary now?"

"No idea, he has disappeared three years ago in that same forest you came out from." He sighed as memories of his brother came back to him.

"Forgive me… I shouldn't have asked this question." Misty didn't expect what came next. She turned her head towards him and watched him in confusion as he laughed.

"Please, do not apologize. To tell you the truth, a part of me was glad he was gone." Misty just stared at him as he sat there pouring his life out to her. "I have always been jealous of him. He took everything away from me. Mother cared for him most and father would always train him and take him out for hunting. Whenever I asked father to take me with them, he'd say that I'm not as strong as Gary. Everything he wanted was at his feet. I always was second in place." Misty felt sympathy build up inside of her. She felt that he was similar to her in some way. Even though she felt sorry for him, she was glad to have found someone… she could understand, and in return, could understand her. Her short trance was interrupted by his voice.

"A couple of years passed with our situation being the same until that day… the villagers, who had left along with my father and brother, hunting, came back without them, saying that my brother had been kidnapped by men who dwelled in the forests. My father told the villagers to head back here, but he didn't come with them. He went off in search for my brother and since that day, they have never appeared in our lives again. My mother… well, she suffered the most. So it was up to me to take care of the family in my father's place." Misty looked at her hands not knowing what to say. She waited for him to say something.

"Sometimes I think, this wouldn't have happened if we still remained civilians of the Kingdom of thunder." Misty looked at his profile curiously as he continued, "I swore to get my revenge on that prince once I got back to the kingdom someday. If it wasn't for him, my father and brother would still be around, but now, I'm glad we were cast to this village," Misty stared at him expectantly. He turned his head to look at her and smiled. "Because, I got to meet you." Misty returned his smile with sincere joy. Never in her life had she heard anyone say such a beautiful thing to her. Suddenly, her cheeks grew red as she realized his hands were holding hers.

"Listen Misty, I know it's been only two week for you in the village and you and I, we have little knowledge about each other, but amongst all the girls I've met, you were the only one who succeeded in capturing my heart. So I have finally decided to fulfill my mother's wish." Misty's cheeks couldn't get redder. She couldn't believe her ears. She stared directly in Rudy's serious eyes and waited for the inevitable request. "Misty… will you be my wife?" zillions of thoughts swirled in her head. _Am I dreaming? Rudy is asking me to marry him? What will happen to my reputation? What will father think?_ _What will happen to my position? Now that I think about it, marrying Rudy is the only way to get rid of my past. To escape it and never be forced to return._ She thought this could be a great opportunity. To live here and forget the palace and everything along with it, is what she thought would save her. She gave him a genuine smile and opened her mouth to answer.

"I'd be-" an image shot through her head just before she could continue her sentence. She couldn't believe it! Ever since she woke up to find herself in this village, she forgot all about what happened in the forest. She forgot all about the mysterious knight who saved her life twice back then. Misty no longer had her graceful smile as she stared at Rudy's face in a dangerous trance. He waved his hand in front of her to shake her out of it. She suddenly blinked.

"Where did you go?" he asked with a smile. She stared at him, her heart beating fast as she considered what she was about to say. She stood up quickly before saying the best thing she came up with for the moment.

"Rudy I am truly happy that you consider me worthy of your life companionship, however, I don't think I'm going to be able to give you an answer right now. I… have to think about it first." She said.

"Take your time; I'm not in a hurry." That's when she closed her eyes and more images of her recent past rushed through her mind.

"Thank you." She answered in gratitude before heading towards the door and walking out of the room.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

To Be Continued…

**So what do you guys think? If you have any comments, suggestions, even if you have nothing to say at all, review! Hehehe oh and if you guys haven't seen it yet, my friend had posted a drawing based on later chapters of this story. Maybe chapter 10 or 11.Tthe website is on my user page, so be sure to check it out. **


End file.
